Safe but lonely? The COVID-19 pandemic, loneliness and mental well-being

Aa research shows, anxiety and loneliness caused by quarantine and lockdown are one of the most serious psychological consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. How isolation influences our mental health? Are the lonely people especially at risk of psychological well-being decrease? How much is this problem affecting young adults, who are at lesser risk of developing severe COVID-19 symptoms and at the same time are quite likely to contribute to spreading of the virus?

Based on our research condusted by our team in two weeks starting from 15th March 2020, we can conclude that:

● Respondents are worried the most about the public health care crisis and the least about isolation. The tendency to worry about one’s own health is higher among people, who voluntarily applied the strict isolation reccommendations.

● People, who were more anxious and depressed in the beginning of the pandemic are particularly at risk of dealing with negative psychological effects of the pandemic. According to the results of our study, such state can be associated with the increase of worries about the COVID-19 crisis as well as progression of symptoms of lower well-being.

● The results show that the worries triggered by the pandemic and its consequences at the beginning of the state of epidemiological threat may be associated to the loneliness increase

● Loneliness contributes to the specific reactions to COVID-19 pandemic. Those who are lonely are also less worried about their own and their close ones’ health.

● However, at the same time lonely people appear to be more anxious about the negative effects of long-term isolation on their relationships with others and mental well-being.

● Lonely people consider financial problems caused by the COVID-19 pandemic to be more likely

Among young adults the feeling of loneliness may be both a consequence and a source of the pandemic-related anxiety. The association between loneliness and decreased mental well-being, as well as less concern for one’s own health and that of others makes loneliness likely to be one of major problems linked to the current epidemiological crisis.

The study was conducted between 15-17 March (511 participants) and 29-31 March 2020 (110 participants) on people aged 18-35 as a part of the Loneliness Project (find more information on own Project’s website: http://projekt-samotnosc.pl/. You can find a full script of the initial article on our research HERE.

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